Surgical-ligature receptacle



(No Model.)

0. P. BARBER. SURGICAL LIGATURE REGEPTAGLE.

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EWWEM wg g gg UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE,

OLIVER P. BARBER, OF SAGINAIV, MICHIGAN.

SURGICAL-LIGATU RE RECEPTACLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,812, dated December30, 1890.

Applicationfiled October 9, 1890- Seriel No. 367,512. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

]3e it known that I, OLIVER P. BARBER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sagi: naw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Ligature Carriersand Preservers, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

As is well known,when ligatures of prepared silk or catgut or othermaterial used by surgeons are to be retained anylength of time beforeusing the same they should be preserved in'a suitable antiseptic fluidin an air-tight vessel, in order to prevent the deposit thereon of germsor septic substances of a nature highly injurious to wounds, in thetreatment of which such ligatures are employed; and it is the object ofthis invention to provide a simple, durable, and comparativelyinexpenslve device forconveniently packingor storing ligatures, whichmay be carried on the person without exposing the same to any liabilityof contact with deleterious substances of any kind; and it consists,first, in providinga receptacle having an air-tight cover which isrounded out or hollowed on its interior; second, in providing a pistonhaving a perforated head provided with a packing and-adapted to fitwithin said receptacle; third, in providing spools having double beveledflanges; fourth, in providing the flanges of such spools with notchededges or perforations, and, fifth, in other details of construction andarrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the receptacle andshowing the piston and spools in full lines; Fig. 2, a perspective viewof the piston, and Fig. 3 a detail perspective of one of the spools.

Similarletters refcrto'similar parts throu ghout the several views.

A represents a cylindrical receptacle, preferably of glass, of the sameinterior diameter throughout its length, and having its mouth endexteriorly reduced, as at a, to receive a cap or cover B. The cap orcover B is formed, preferably, with a rounded top and the inner sur faceof which is hollowed out, as shown in or cover and the offset on thereceptacle, in

order to render the same air-tight; or any other desired means offastening the. cap airtight and securely to the receptacle may beemployed, as found most convenient, the only requirement being that theinterior of the cap or cover be hollowed out,so as to leave a spacebetween the upper end of the receptacle and the interior top or surfaceof the cap or cover.

0 represents a cylindrical rod, preferably of glass, which,forconvenience sake, is herein termed a piston, on one end of which ahandle 1) is formed and on the other end an enlarged head 0, having itsinner end beveled, as at c, said head being adaptedin size to enter orfit Within the receptacle A snugly but movably therein. The head 0 isformed with a suitable number of perforations'd, extending lengthwisethrough the head, and on the periphery of the head a groove 6 is formed,which extends around said head, the piston and its head being molded orpressed from one piece of glass. In the groove 6 asbestus cotton f ispacked or wound, so as to completely fill said groove and extendslightly beyond the periphery of the head, the object of which is tocause thepiston to remain in any position relative the length at whichit extends beyond the mouth of the receptacle, at

which it may be placed in the receptacle or drawn therefrom through thefrictional hold of the asbestus on the interior of the receptacle. Drepresents the spools on which the silk or catgut is wound, said spoolshaving their ends and their flanges g beveled off on both sides and theedges notched, as at h; or, if preferred, perforations 71/ may be formedthrough the flanges, as shown in Fig. 3. p

The spools after having been wound with the ligatures are slipped ontothe piston over its handle end, the first one resting on the bevelededge or end of the head 0 andthe others resting one on the other, asshown in- Fig. 1, so that they may be easily andreadily rotated on thepiston independently of each other and without undue friction betweenthe spools. The receptacle being previously filled with a suitableantiseptic fluid, the piston and its spools are inserted therein, or thepiston may be inserted before the fluid, and the latter, poured inafterward, finds its way through the notches or perforations, Whicheverare used, down into the receptacle and through the perforations in theheadto the bottom of said receptacle. The piston, being of a greaterlength than the interior of the receptacle, projects beyond the same andits handle lies in the hollowed-out cap or cover, so that upon removalof the cap the handle may be grasped without the hand coming in contactwith the liquid and the piston drawn out of the receptacle the desiredheight to give access to the spool or spools desired and the ligatureunwound therefrom as needed, the piston remaining at the height to whichit is drawn by means of its frictional contact with the receptaclethrough the packing on {its head. The notches or perforations in thespool-flanges, which are of the same diameter as the head (2, permit theliquid in the receptacle to escape back into the receptacle when thepiston is withdrawn either partially or wholly therefrom, as do theperforations in the head.

Having thus described my invention, whatl claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a ligature carrier and preserver, the combination, with areceptacle having an airtight cover, of a piston, the spools mounted onsaid piston, and means for sustaining said piston at any desired heightin said receptacle, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a ligature carrier and preserver, of thereceptacle, a piston having an enlarged head, asbest'us cotton securedto said head,and spools mounted on said piston, substantially asdescribed.

8. The combination, in a ligature carrier and preserver, with acylindrical receptacle having an air-tight cap or cover, of a pistonhaving an enlarged head adapted to permit the passage of liquidstherethrough, and the inner or upper end of which is beveled, and, thespools having beveled ends and flanges adapted to permit the passage ofliquids, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signatu re in presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER 1. BARBER.

Witnesses:

GILBERT M. STARK,

LESLIE B. lIANCHE'lT.

